Autonomous vehicle services

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11205240-B2
Application number	US-201615358729-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 22, 2016
Priority date	Dec 30, 2015
Publication date	Dec 21, 2021
Grant date	Dec 21, 2021

Abstract

The technology relates to facilitating transportation services between a user and a vehicle having an autonomous driving mode. For instance, one or more server computing devices having one or more processors may information identifying the current location of the vehicle. The one or more server computing devices may determine that the user is likely to want to take a trip to a particular destination based on prior location history for the user. The one or more server computing devices may dispatch the vehicle to cause the vehicle to travel in the autonomous driving mode towards a location of the user. In addition, after dispatching, the one or more server computing devices sending a notification to a client computing device associated with the user indicating that the vehicle is currently available to take the passenger to the particular destination.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for facilitating transportation services between a user and a vehicle having an autonomous driving mode, the method comprising:
receiving, by one or more server computing devices having one or more processors, information identifying a current location of the vehicle;
determining, by the one or more server computing devices, a suggested destination to which the user is likely to want to take a trip based on the received information identifying the current location of the vehicle and prior location history for the user;
dispatching, by the one or more server computing devices, the vehicle to cause the vehicle to travel in the autonomous driving mode towards a location of the user without receiving a specific request from the user;
after the dispatching, determining, by the one or more server computing devices, a time to send a notification to a client computing device associated with the user indicating that the vehicle is currently available to take the trip to the determined suggested destination, wherein the time to send the notification is determined based on how long it will take the vehicle to travel to the location of the user to pick up the user and how long it will take the vehicle to travel from the location of the user to the determined suggested destination;
sending, by the one or more server computing devices, the notification based on the determined time to send the notification;
receiving, by the one or more server computing devices, an indication that the user accepts taking the trip to the determined suggested destination; and
sending, by the one or more server computing devices in response to the indication, instructions to the vehicle that cause the vehicle to take the user on the trip to the determined suggested destination.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, prior to the determining that the user is likely to want to take the trip to the determined suggested destination, identifying the vehicle as available to transport a passenger.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, prior to the determining that the user is likely to want to take the trip to the determined suggested destination, identifying the vehicle will become available to transport a passenger within a predetermined expected period of time.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the one or more server computing devices, information identifying a current location of the client computing device,
wherein the determining that the user is likely to want to take the trip to the determined suggested destination is further based on the current location of the client computing device.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the current location of the client computing device is the location of the user, and
wherein the notification further indicates that the vehicle is currently located at the current location of the client computing device.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the one or more server computing devices, information identifying the current location of the client computing device; and
prior to the determining that the user is likely to want to take the trip to the determined suggested destination, identifying a set of users within a predetermined distance of the current location of the vehicle,
wherein the determining that the user is likely to want to take the trip to the determined suggested destination, includes selecting the user from the set of users based on the prior location history for the user.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dispatching includes instructing the vehicle to wait for further instructions.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving calendar information for the user, wherein the determining the suggested destination is further based on a calendar entry of the calendar information.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
generating, by the one or more server computing devices, one or more suggested metrics for the user based on the calendar entry,
wherein the determining the suggested destination is further based on the one or more suggested metrics.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the one or more suggested metrics include one or more of a suggested destination or a suggested departure time.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dispatching includes identifying the client computing device to allow the vehicle to authenticate the user.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the notification further indicates that the vehicle is currently traveling towards the current location of the client computing device and an estimated time of arrival of the vehicle for a current location of the client computing device, the method further comprising:
determining that the vehicle will not reach the current location of the client computing device within the estimated time of arrival; and
based on the determination that the vehicle will not reach the current location of the client computing device within the estimated time of arrival, generating a second notification including an offer to occupy the user until the vehicle is able to pick up the user.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the offer suggests that the user wait at a particular location until the vehicle is available.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the notification further indicates an estimated time of arrival of the vehicle at the current location of the client computing device.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the one or more server computing devices, information identifying a current location of the client computing device,
wherein the notification further indicates that the vehicle is currently located at the current location of the client computing device.

16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving location information identifying current locations of a plurality of client computing devices each associated with a different user; and
sending the notification to each of the plurality of client computing devices, wherein the notification indicates that multiple seats are available to users for a trip to the determined suggested destination.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
receiving, in response to the sending the notification to each of the plurality of client computing devices, information indicating acceptance of the trip to the determined suggested destination for each of the multiple seats from a first portion of the plurality of client computing devices; and
after receiving the information indicating acceptance of the trip, sending to a second portion of the plurality of client computing devices a notification that the multiple seats are no longer available.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the time to send the notification is determined further based on a current time at which the time to send the notification is determined.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the time to send the notification is determined further based on a time at which it is desired to reach the determined suggested destination.

20. A system comprising:
one or more server computing devices having one or more processors configured to:
receive information identifying a current location of a vehicle;
determine a suggested destination to which a user is likely to want to take a trip based on the received information identifying the current location of the vehicle and prior location history for the user;
dispatch the vehicle to cause the vehicle to travel in an a

Assignees

• Waymo Llc

Inventors

• Urmson Christopher Paul
• Colijn Peter
• Dolgov Dmitri A
• Fairfield Nathaniel
• Pandit Salil
• Patel Nirmal
• Powell Ryan
• Chan Min Li

Classifications

• G01C21/3617

  using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement · CPC title

• G08G1/202

  Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching · CPC title

• G06Q10/06315

  Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis · CPC title

• G05D1/00

  Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots (drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00) · CPC title

• G08G1/005

  including pedestrian guidance indicator · CPC title